Midwest City High School History Center & Bomber Vietnam Memorial(67)

MIDWEST CITY

This is another 2 part post since the Vietnam Memorial sits just outside the MCHS History Center. First the Memorial, then the History Center. It took me a couple of attempts to get to the Vietnam Memorial in Midwest City. I followed the GPS in my truck which can be sketchy at times. I knew I was going to find it on the Midwest City High School campus, but I couldn't see it from the parking lot I was in. The high school has good security so no one comes in without permission. I rang the intercom and found out since there was construction on the school grounds, I could park in a different parking lot and access the memorial from there. So I drove back around the block and found the lot and a short walk got me to the memorial. It honestly felt really weird being on a high school campus while school was in session, but I wanted to see the memorial. And the kids didn't care at all who I was. HA!

I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I got to it and looked closely, I was really impressed by the display. Rather than being an all-encompassing memorial to Vietnam, it's an area specific memorial. Students that were former Midwest City Bombers were highlighted. It made the feeling much more personal. People that roamed the halls of this high school went to fight in a war that so many didn't make it back from. It was a very poignant show of town and school pride to have locals featured. And, as always, it hit my heart with the sadness that war brings and the humility that these military folks died in service to our country. They should always be remembered, even when the war they fought in has become a distant memory. I had the opportunity to talk with Bob Osmond who spearheaded the memorial project. He told me that a MCHS alum, Tony Callaway, was called on to design the memorial. Keeping it local again. Awesome! With donations of about a quarter million dollars, the memorial was realized in 2018. Originally intended for veterans of the Vietnam War, the committee also discovered that Bomber alums were KIA in World War II and Korea. They have since been added to the memorial. Another heart wrenching addition to the memorial was four alumni that were in the Oklahoma City bombing at the Murrah building. I think it's a great tribute to the memory of the people that once walked the halls of Midwest City High School. Another thing Bob told me about was they were recently included in the Wreaths Across America ceremony that happens all over the country to honor veterans. Since the ceremony happened the Saturday before I was there, the wreaths were still up and green. It's quite an honor to have seen them knowing it was part of a nationwide effort to recognize our troops.

Down below the Memorial pictures is my visit inside the Bombers Museum.

213 Elm Street, Midwest City

Entry Fee: Free

Hours: Wednesday 9:00-4:00

https://bombervietnammemorial.org

When I said earlier that it was weird being on a high school campus, it's also double weird to be on a high school campus that you didn't attend. But there I was. All the strange feelings subsided when I got into the History Center. Bob met me at the door and showed me around a little explaining how it was set up and a few highlights. I always find that valuable. Get an overview from the people responsible for the collection. That's how you get to the good stuff. I spoke with Bob and Marty Thompson, both from the class of '64. When they inherited the responsibility of the museum, it was highly unorganized. Through a ton of effort and a lot of hours, they cataloged each piece and organized it by decade in the displays. It was a really cool way to set things up. You could see the progress of the school, the differences and similarities of each decade, and what life was like over the years. They also have the only complete set of Bomber yearbooks starting with the inaugural class of 1944. The first one is more of a memory book rather than an official yearbook, but they have it. I took a few pics of the 1945 yearbook. I also like looking at 1972 yearbooks to see what schools were like the year I was born. I'm a birthday nerd! Above the yearbooks are copies of books that have been written by MCHS alums. And there were quite a few! So great. I took a picture, so I can go read some of them.

Another thing that Bob and Marty are working on is going through the three storage areas that house way more memorabilia from not only MCHS, but also other now-closed Midwest City Schools like Sooner-Rose Elementary and Monroney Junior High. Another example of local pride. They said there is so much that they don't have room for, but they'd love to be able to display it all. Hopefully that can happen someday.

Even though I didn't go to Midwest City High School, it was great to see local history from the perspective of the students and faculty of each era. Combine that with the very local Memorial and this make for a great place to visit. Even if you're not a Bomber.

Jonathan Elmore ©2025